Patient's question:
My wife is five months pregnant and had liver function tests. Everything else was normal, but her transaminase levels were elevated (ALT rose to 103). What are the reasons for the elevated transaminase levels, and what are the consequences?Doctor's answer:
If there are no other symptoms, I suggest you can leave it alone. Elevated ALT is common clinically, and some cases have even lasted for decades. You can take liver-protecting tablets to see if it decreases, and wait to see the outcome. ALT is an essential "catalyst" in the human metabolic process and is mainly found in liver cells. When liver cells suffer inflammation, necrosis, or poisoning, causing liver cell damage, ALT is released into the bloodstream, leading to an increase in serum ALT levels. In routine physical examinations, the main ALT tested is Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT). 1% liver cell damage can double the concentration of ALT in the blood.